Azerbaijani Teen Nearly Burned To Death By Parents After They Discover He’s Gay

An 18 year old boy from Azerbaijan has reportedly escaped alive after his parents tried to burn him to death upon learning that he is gay. Though accounts of the horrendous attack have protected the identity of the victim, referring to him only as 'Malik', the boy reportedly still faces danger as do many LGBT individuals in Azerbaijan. Gay Star News reports that Malik endured three months of blackmail from anonymous individuals on Facebook who threatened to send pictures of him at a Pride parade to his parents:

[Malik’s] parents attempted to burn him with gasoline,’ the LGBT Azerbaijan Alliance reports, adding they punched and kicked him.

‘Even though [Malik] ran away from home, a lot of his personal belongings and documents were taken away by his family….meaning he has no chance to leave the country.’

‘[Malik] is in a safe place right now. However, a threat to his life continues.’

Earlier this year, Isa Shakmarli, an LGBT rights advocate and activist in Azerbaijan, hung himself with a rainbow flag, leaving behind a message on Facebook that only hinted at the harsh conditions gay people face in Azerbaijan:

“This country and this world are not for me…You are all guilty for my death. This world cannot handle my true colours. Goodbye.”

Comments

Are you sure? NOM is telling us that it is christians who are persecuted.

Hopefully his recovers quickly

Posted by: Hislv | Aug 12, 2014 7:17:15 PM

Islam = intolerance + death

Posted by: Jay | Aug 12, 2014 7:39:23 PM

And the so called church leaders have remained silent , now and in previous years.
Pope Francis come out and condemn all violence against gays.

Tell the world that gays are equal.
Say the words.
Amend your bigoted Catechism.
Ask for our forgiveness.
And beg the forgiveness of the god you believe in for bastardizing every message of love he ever tried to teach you.

The silence of the churches in the light of the bigotry of Uganda,Kenya, Zimbabwe,Islamic extremism and these other enclaves of mediaevalism is shocking in its hypocrisy.

Posted by: JackFknTwist | Aug 12, 2014 7:57:32 PM

Hopefully, having your parents attempt to incinerate you is enough to make you realize you are better off eliminating them from your life. Aside from criminal charges against them, don't look back...

Posted by: Kipp | Aug 12, 2014 8:05:44 PM

Islam = evil + defilement

Posted by: Remix | Aug 12, 2014 8:06:08 PM

Is the headline misleading? "Nearly burned to death" implies that they set him on fire and that he is alive purely due to medical care. The rest of the article (and the link) make it sound like they doused him with gasoline but he managed to get out before anyone struck a match.

I hope it's the latter - that he wasn't injured physically. Regardless, his parents deserve a long stay in prison.

Posted by: Bill | Aug 13, 2014 1:58:33 AM

All gays living in homophobic countries should save up and relocate,if relocating to america seems difficult (I know it will be) , try the UK, try new zealand, australia,Sweden,try any european country.

Posted by: frank | Aug 13, 2014 4:10:51 AM

This is horrible. Do people realize that bigots in the U.S. and other majority Christian countries hate their gay children, too?

Why ignore the reality that gay teen suicides and homelessness exist in disturbing numbers in the U.S.?

Posted by: Alex | Aug 13, 2014 5:55:32 AM

I wish organizations like HRC would work to assist individuals who face these circumstances. We need to do more for our community than just read about abuse. We need to provide shelter and help for the abused.

Posted by: KJPNYC | Aug 13, 2014 9:26:41 AM

I wish organizations like HRC would work to assist individuals who face these circumstances. We need to do more for our community than just read about abuse. We need to provide shelter and help for the abused.

Posted by: KJPNYC | Aug 13, 2014 9:26:42 AM

I was thinking the same, Kip. Could we not establish a sponsorship program that would allow gay households to bring persecuted people to the States?